They've taken us under the sea with their charming reimagining of Hans Christian Andersen's " The Little Mermaid ." Not to mention soaring through the sky aboard a magic carpet in their wildly comic take on the 1001 Arabian Nights, " Aladdin ." So where will John Musker and...

"Do your research." That is the lesson that John Lasseter -- Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney & Pixar Animation Studios -- has repeatedly drilled into the artists that he works with. That before they jump feet-first into developing a brand-new animated feature, these filmmakers must...

Earlier this week, Paul T. sent me an e-mail with an image attached that -- I'm sure -- will titillate a certain segment of the Disney fan community. Jim, Check out what I found on an animation art auction cite!! It's a bare-ass Ariel!! Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved Well...

Huffington Post -- Rich Moore looks back at the roads not taken with Disney's "Wreck-It Ralph" It was the story that artists at Walt Disney Animation Studios had been struggling to get a handle on for over 15 years. A comic action-adventure set inside of the world of video games, where...

Greetings from the 110th edition of the American International Toy Fair . A trade show that Nancy and I love to attend because -- to be blunt -- it usually gives you lots of opportunities to learn about movies & TV shows that are still months ... Photo by Nancy Stadler ... if not years away from...

Huffington Post -- Alan Tudyk: It sucks not being able to come back for the "Firefly" and "Wreck-It Ralph" sequels Normal 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 It was Ed Wynn for the win this Saturday at the Annies . As " Suburgatory " star Alan Tudyk -- who used Wynn's comic...

My apologies to those of you who have been waiting for over five weeks now for me to finally post the results of JHM's "Once Upon a Time" -themed trivia contest . But ... purple smoke?! Prince Charming (Josh Dallas) and Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) meet the purple smoke. Copyright American...

I always thought that the wearing of the green was associated with Ireland, rather than Scotland. Well, even though Hollywood Boulevard was clad in a green carpet ... Photo by Jim Hill ... Last night was obviously a Scottish-themed celebration. Which officially kicked off as the Los Angeles Scottish...

It’s that time of year again. When high school and college students all over the country are graduating. More importantly, when JHM readers reach out and ask for my suggestions when it comes to the perfect graduation gift for the would-be animators and Imagineers in their families. This year, though...

Let’s say that you had this great idea for a theme park ride. So you write your idea down and then ship it off to The Walt Disney World Resort . Care to guess what happens once your new ride proposal arrives in Orlando? As soon as the cast member who works in Guest Relations (they’re the department at...

As I was listening to the Vikings in “ How to Train Your Dragon ” talk about how vile & nasty dragons were … I couldn’t help but think about the attitude that some animation fans have toward Dreamworks Animation . You know the people that I’m talking about. The ones who – when you say that you actually...

You’ve probably seen a lot of Joe Ranft -related material popping up around the Web over the past few days. John Musker ’s excellent story reel-based tribute to his old pal (who was tragically killed in an automobile accident back on August 16, 2005 ). No to mention the first installment of Leo Holzer...

Nancy and I got the news yesterday afternoon as we were driving down to NYC. We’d stopped to gas up the car in Tolland, CT when Angela called on the cell to say that Roy E. Disney had died . This was obviously sad news. But -- to be honest -- not exactly unexpected. Ever since word leaked back in June...

It wasn’t exactly the news that animation fans were expecting. That Walt Disney Animation Studios would be following up “ The Princess and the Frog ” (i.e. The Company’s much anticipated return to hand-drawn animation) with a feature-length Winnie the Pooh project . Ah, but there was method to the Mouse...

Okay. Quick show of hands. How many of you remember the story that JHM posted back on June 24 th , where this site revealed that The Walt Disney Company had purchased the following domain names: BEVERLYHILLSCHIHUAHUATWO.COM CHIHUAHUA2.COM The reason I bring this up now is – earlier this week – the California...

As I watched last night's debate, I was reminded of that old joke : "People who like sausage and appreciate politics shouldn't watch either one being made." Mind you, those of us who have been following " Bolt " 's production have sometimes wondered if -- just like with politics & sausage -- it might...

A week from today, the madness begins. Okay. I know. Comic-Con 2008 does have a preview night on Wednesday, which allows pre-registered 4-day members as well as industry professionals to enter the San Diego Convention Center early. Which then gives these folks first crack at acquiring cool crud like...

Today, the "Special Edition" version of " The Aristocats " DVD goes on sale. Copyright 2008 Disney. All Rights Reserved And while it's hard to find fault with this 1970 Walt Disney Productions release itself (Which remains just as charming as ever. With Duchess the filthy rich feline falling for Thomas...

How many of you know the story of the blind men and the elephant ? I bring up this ancient Indian fable because ... Well ... I have to admit that I was highly amused by what happened last Wednesday. When the on-line animation community went completely bananas over those "Bolt" pre-release images . Copyright...

It's going to seem like "Old Home Week" at Hollywood's Egyptian Theater tonight. What with acclaimed filmmaker Leslie Iwerks sharing the stage with industry legend Roy E. Disney during the Q & A portion of tonight's screening of " The Pixar Story " at the American Cinematheque . You see, if it hadn...